Vehicle-brake.



UNITED STATES Patented August 9, 1904:.

PATENT EEicE,

HENRY R. MACDONALD AND IVORY G. OOLOORD, OF VANCOUVER,

CANADA.

VEHICLE-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent 0. 767,299, dated August 9,1904:.

Application filed January 30,190 Serial No. 191,330. (No model.)

To a 7071/0717, it mmty coll/corn.-

Be it known that we, HENRY R. MACDON- ALD, a citizen of the Dominion ofCanada, and IvoRY G. OoLooRD, a citizen of the United States of America,both residing at the city of Vancouver, in the Province of BritishColumbia, Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement inVehicle-Brakes, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to an improved brake for a racing or trainingsulky, and is especially designed to afforda driver perfect control tocheck and regulate a horses pace without pulling it up by the mouth andwithout the drivers attention being taken from the lines or any changein the position of his body being necessitated. As the brakeisindependently applicable to each wheel, the device can be used to guideand aid a horse in turning, as in rounding a corner the wheel on theinner side may be checked while the outer one is allowed to run free. Ahorse will in a very short time respond freely to the slight strain thusthrown on his body from one side or the other by the brake and thechecked inner wheel will swing the vehicle to make the turn; but theimportant feature lies in the perfect control which a driver mayexercise on a horse in training it without pulling on its month. Theseresults are attained without adding to the weight of the vehicle, as themechanism is designed to replace the foot-rests and their stays, forwhich purpose our device also serves.

A further important feature in our device is that it can be readilyapplied to existing machines and that without any cutting of the frameor drilling for bolt-holes. The advantage of this feature will be fullyrealized when it is considered that the structure of a racingmachine ismade as light as possible consistent with the requirements of strength,and to cut it in any way means an impairment of that strength. Theinvention is fully set forth in the following specification andillustrated in the drawings which accompany it.

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the application of the brake toboth wheels of a racing-machine; Fig. 2, a detail elevation of the brakemechanism from within the shafts, and Fig. 3 a front elevation of thesame.

On the under inner side of each shaft in the position usually occupiedby the foot-rest, which need not be removed unless it is desired to doso, is secured by a strap-bolt 2 a stud member 3, on which is pivotallymounted a foot-lever 4, the lower end of which projects below thefulcrum and at the upper end isoutwardly turned, as at 5, toward theplane of the wheel.

On the foot-lever 4 is secured a foot-plate 6, shaped to conform to thefoot, heel and toe being on opposite sides of the stud-pin 3 and thefoot-plate angled to a convenient position for the comfort and support,as a foot-rest, of a driver when occupying the seat of the sulky.

To the bent-over end 5 of the foot-lever 4 is connected a rod 7, theother end of which is pin-connected to the upper end of a brakelever 8,which is pivotally mounted adjacent to the wheel on a fulcrum 9, securedby clamps 10 between the two members of the frame of the vehicle whichcarries each wheel. The lower end of the brake-lever 8 beyond thefulcrum 9 is shaped as a spoon-brake to engage the wheel-tire. The endof the rod 7 may be provided with a series of holes to allow for take-upor adjustment of the mechanism, and the upper end of the brakelever 8 issimilarly furnished to afford a means of varying the brake-power to therequirements of the driver.

The attachment by which the fulcrum 9 is secured to the frame of themachine is perfectly adaptable to variations in the frame or turning orto check the horse when it attempts to break its pace the brake can beapplied to any desired extent by merely pressing forward the upper partof either one or both of the foot-plates with the toes. This can be donewithout the driver changing the position of his body or taking hisattention from his horse and the track.

The foot-plates 6 form a very efficient footrest and may be providedwith turned-up edges as guard against slip or furnished with a toe-clip.If more convenient, they may be constructed in one piece with thefoot-levers 4.

Having now particularly described our invention, we declare that what weclaim as new, and desire to be protected in by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a vehicle-brake; the stud member 3 secured to each shaft of avehicle by the strapbolt 2, the foot-lever 4: having the foot-plate 6secured to the connecting-rod 7, brake-la ver 8 mounted on the fulcrum 9which is adjustably secured by the split clamp 10 to the vehicle-frame.

2. In a vehicle-brake, a lever a foot-plate secured to said lever andhaving a heel and a toe portion said lever being pivotally connected tothe vehicle-frame between the heeland-toe portion to permit ofheel-and-toe movement, said lever having an integrally-formedright-angled projecting portion, a bral e-lever pivotally mounted on thevehicle-frame and having a wheel-engaging portion at one end, a rodadjustably connected to the said brake-lever, said rod having its otherend formed with a flattened portion having a series of apertures, saidflattened-portion apertures being adapted to receive the right-angledprojection of the lever to form a pivotal connection therewith, allbeing arranged sub stantially as shown and for the purposes specified.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HENRY R. MACDONALD. IVORY G. COLCORD.

In presence of ROWLAND BRITTAIN, ELLIoE VVEBBER.

